


Exactly What We Are

by reeby10



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Bad Parenting, Fake/Pretend Relationship, First Kiss, Frenemies, Homophobia, M/M, Meeting the Parents, Protective Cisco Ramon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-04
Updated: 2017-07-04
Packaged: 2018-11-23 02:51:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11393841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reeby10/pseuds/reeby10
Summary: He hadn’t had a real date in years and as much as he wanted to shove the reality of his gayness in his parents’ faces, he wasn’t exactly thrilled with the prospect of bringing some bar hook up with him. No, he’d need something that could look real, at least to them.





	Exactly What We Are

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BiffElderberry](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BiffElderberry/gifts).



> This was supposed to be “Hartley and Cisco scandalize Hartley’s parents then make out” but uh, that didn’t quite happen lol

Hartley stared down at the invitation in his hands, using every ounce of self control not to just crumple it up and toss it in the trash. It was the first invitation he’d gotten in years, ever since his parents disowned him for being gay, and it was bringing back a lot of memories. Most of them were not particularly nice ones.

He’d grown up going to galas like the one he was being invited to now. It was the kind of things the Rathaways were known for, and were often known to throw themselves. Every party was merely an excuse for the rich and famous to schmooze and drink and make a scene. They’d always made him miserable, and he was sure this one would be no different.

Except for how it would because he was invited, and he knew for a fact his parents were too. They never missed an opportunity to show off how normal and wonderful they were. They wouldn’t be very happy about him showing up where they were after disowning him.

Which of course mean he had to go. And he had to go with a date.

Going to the gala with a date would be a much simpler idea if he was actually _seeing_ someone though. Unfortunately, he hadn’t had a real date in years and as much as he wanted to shove the reality of his gayness in his parents’ faces, he wasn’t exactly thrilled with the prospect of bringing some bar hook up with him. No, he’d need something that could look real, at least to them.

Finding someone like that was going to be a lot of work, and he had only a matter of days before the gala. A friend might work, but he was kind of lacking in that area as well, not ever being particularly social. And as a reformed villain, he wasn’t exactly friendly with either the other villains or the Flash crew, who were the closest things he might have to friends.

But there was an idea. He might not have friends, but he didn’t have allies of a sort. Or _an_ ally at least, as much as they butted heads whenever they were in each other’s presence. But it was the only option he had right now. Hopefully he’d say yes.

***

“No, no absolutely not. No way in hell.”

Hartley frowned, annoyed but not particularly surprised by the response. He’d known from the beginning this would take a lot of convincing, and possibly some bribery. He’d come prepared.

“I’ll compensate you for your time of course,” he offered. He hoped Cisco wasn’t going to be too expensive of a date, he wasn’t exactly rolling in the dough after being disowned and then arrested. That tended to put a dent in getting a job too, which he’d found out rather quickly.

“I don’t want your money,” Cisco said, rolling his eyes. His arms were still crossed over his chest and he didn’t look like he was budging anytime soon.

“There will be free food and drinks, the best of all you can eat and drink,” Hartley tried instead.

He knew Cisco was much more likely to be swayed by the promise of free food than anything, but the surefire approach didn’t even make Cisco blink. That made things harder. He wracked his brain for something else Cisco might like in exchange for going to the gala and pretending to be his longterm boyfriend. What kind of things interested Cisco most?

“I’ll also give you one free call for help with whatever or whoever the Flash is fighting, with no complaints.”

Cisco narrowed his eyes, but the proposal was obviously _very_ tempting. “Two.”

Hartley sighed, but extended his hand. “Fine,” he said as Cisco shook it, sealing the deal, “but you’re wearing exactly what I pick out for you.”

***

They made their way to the gala in mostly uncomfortable silence. Hartley was rather glad Cisco was being quiet, though he knew he couldn’t rely on that to last. Hopefully he’d at least stick to the plan they’d come up with and not say anything too embarrassing.

“This place is pretty swank,” Cisco said as they walked up to the doors. He kept looking around, tugging distractedly at his tie. He hadn’t wanted to wear it, but Hartley had insisted. They had to look their parts.

“They’ve got to show off their ridiculous wealth somehow,” Hartley replied, rolling his eyes a little. “That’s what these things are for.”

Cisco looked like he was about to reply, but they were interrupted by an older woman who had recognized Hartley from years before and come to make small talk. Hartley gritted his teeth through the conversation, trying to keep it away from his brief stint as a villain, though it was obvious that was what she was interested in more than his family or what he was doing these days.

That became the pattern as they made their way around the large ballroom. Cisco seemed far more amused by it than he had any right to, only stepping in when Hartley glared at him, needing an out from the conversation before he said something that would get them kicked out before his parents even showed.

“Is this what it’s always like?” Cisco asked when they finally made their way to the food tables. He had a plate stacked with meatballs and petit fours, already talking through a mouthful of finger foods.

Hartley grimaced, handing Cisco a napkin. “Pretty much,” he replied, grabbing a much smaller plate for himself. “I’m a lot more interesting to them these days, what with being the Pied Piper and actually having the audacity to flaunt my gayness like this. I think most of them thought me being gay was merely a cry from attention from inattentive parents.”

For a second, something almost like pity crossed Cisco’s face, but it was gone again before Hartley could come up with something to say. He didn’t want or need Cisco’s pity, or anyone else’s for that matter. His family life was what it was, and he’d learned to deal with that. Maybe not well, but he was dealing. That’s what tonight was about, after all, showing them that he was still standing even after everything.

They loitered around the food tables for awhile, eating and drinking far more than was socially acceptable at these things. It gave Hartley a sort of vicious, if a bit childish, thrill to be here with his fake boyfriend, eating through as much of the ridiculously expensive food as he could. It almost felt like standing up for himself like he never could years before.

Almost an hour after they got there, Hartley’s parents finally arrived. He should have known that they’d want to make a fashionably late entrance, but in his defence, he hadn’t talked to them for several years. Maybe he’d subconsciously wished they would have changed, just a bit.

He knew they’d arrived when the murmuring and sideways looks toward his general direction ramped up an extra notch. Breaking away from the snarking contest he had going with Cisco, he looked up toward the main entrance to see the two of them smiling and shaking hands with old friends and business acquaintances. It would only be a matter of time before someone told them he was there, and just seconds later, he could see their faces freeze into surprised grimaces.

Despite the desire to confront them, Hartley made himself stay where he was. It was time they came to him for once, he wasn’t going to show any weakness by chasing after them when they’d been the ones to reject him in the first place. Cisco, still at his side, seemed a little concerned with the sudden tension in the air, but for once he stayed blessedly silent.

“Mother. Father,” Hartley greeted when they finally made their way over. “I wish I could say it was nice to see you.”

His hands were clenched tightly at his sides, trying to stop the nervous shaking he could feel coming on. He startled a little when he felt Cisco reach over, lacing their fingers together. For a moment, he imagined they really were boyfriends and Cisco really did just want to offer him comfort, then he brushed the thought away. He needed his wits about him while talking to his parents.

“Hartley,” his mother said, voice a little higher than he remembered. His father was looking off to the side, apparently not even able to look him in the face. “I wasn’t expecting _you_ to be invited. And who is this?”

“This is Cisco, my boyfriend,” he replied, grinning savagely at the wince it drew from both of his parents.

“I thought you would have gotten over that ridiculous by now,” his mother said stiffly, knuckles going white around her wine glass. “You’re a little old for youthful rebellion by now, aren’t you?”

Hartley felt anger and heartbreak bubbling up in the pit of his stomach. He wasn’t sure what else he’d expected to hear, but it didn’t make having her say it to his face any easier to take. Maybe he’d just hoped time would have tempered her disgust with him.

“And you’re a little old to be such a bitch.”

All three Rathaways locked eyes on Cisco, faces ranging from surprised to highly offended. Cisco had been so quiet that Hartley had almost forgotten that he was there. They’d never discussed what, if anything, Cisco would say to Hartley’s parents when they met at the gala, but even then he hadn’t imagined Cisco would say anything like that. It was… kind of sweet actually.

“Excuse me?” Hartley’s mother said, tone sharp enough to cut glass. Her mouth was drawn together in a tight, angry line, one Hartley remembered being graced with frequently in his childhood.

Cisco chuckled, looking totally unruffled by either the conversation or her tone. The way he gripped Hartley’s hand tight told a different story, though. “You heard what I said. Don’t you think it’s time you stopped being so awful to your own son?”

“That’s none of your business,” Hartley’s father said, clearing his throat. Hartley was a little surprised he’d said anything since he’d said when he disowned Hartley that he would never say a word to him again. But he was talking to Cisco now, so apparently that was a different story.

“I’m his boyfriend, so yeah, it is my business,” Cisco snapped back. Hartley felt something warm bloom in his chest at hearing Cisco call him his boyfriend so casually. “You know, I never really believed you two could be such terrible parents. I thought everything I heard was just exaggeration, but apparently not.”

Hartley’s mother opened her mouth to reply, but Cisco held up his hand to stop her. Surprisingly, she did, though it might have been more out of shock than anything else. He regarded the two of them for a long moment, a deep frown line between his brows, then shook his head.

“Your son is brilliant and a far better person than he should be considering his parentage. You don’t deserve him,” he said, voice full of the kind of conviction that couldn’t be faked. It seemed like he really believed what he was saying, believed that Hartley was really worth something. “We’re done wasting our time on you.”

Before Hartley could really process what was happening, Cisco pulled him away and toward the exit. The crowd parted before them, whispering things that Hartley couldn’t bring himself to care about. They made it outside in no time, stopping in a nearby alleyway.

It took a few minutes before Hartley could collect himself, but when he did, he realized that Cisco hadn’t released his hand. He couldn’t help but stare at their entwined hands, wind whirring with possibilities. When he’d come up with the idea for a fake boyfriend and gotten Cisco to agree, he’d never considered that Cisco would actually defend him to his parents like that. It seemed like something far too much for just a former nemesis, sometimes ally.

“Thank you,” Hartley told him haltingly, unused to those words coming from his mouth.

Cisco shrugged, a still somewhat tight grin on his face. “I couldn’t let them just stand there and insult you,” he said. “That’s _my_ job.”

Hartley opened his mouth for a scathing retort, but something made him stop. He considered Cisco very carefully, eyes narrowed in concentration. Cisco really had gone above and beyond in his role of fake boyfriend, and there had to be a reason for it. Hartley just hoped he’d come to the right conclusion about that reason.

Trying not to think about the repercussions if he was wrong, Hartley took the last step to close the gap between them. He reached out to take Cisco’s face in both hands and kissed him. Cisco lips parted beneath his, surprised by the move, but Hartley just kept pressing forward. It only took a few moments before Cisco was kissing back, hands curled in Hartley’s dress shirt.

They pulled apart an indeterminate amount of time later, panting like they’d gone head to head with the latest meta threat instead of just made out a bit. Hartley felt strangely calm as he leaned his forehead against Cisco’s, hands drifting down to bracket his hips against the alley wall they’d somehow found themselves up against. Somehow, this just seemed like the most natural thing to happen after years of the two of them being at each other’s throats.

“So are we like real boyfriends now or what?” Cisco asked, interrupting the nice bubble of peace because he never could go too long without saying something.

Hartley rolled his eyes and pressed a kiss to Cisco’s cheek, too fond to be annoyed. “Yeah, Cisco, I think that’s exactly what we are.”

**Author's Note:**

> Concrit welcome. If you like my fic, feel free to come hit me up [on tumblr](http://voldiebuns.tumblr.com/)!


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